Formation and Vocation: Scientific Dissemination Lectures for High School Students in Amazonia

Abstract

Despite the range of research performed in Brazilian universities and institutions, in the most diverse areas of knowledge, the scientific career has remained little sought by young people planning to enter in higher education courses. In addition to the variety of socioeconomic factors that can be addressed in an attempt to explain this low demand, the small number of scientific outreach specialized initiatives focusing on science and technology-based professional choices can also be evidenced. With the possibility of bringing students closer to the reality of scientific and academic careers and establishing young people's contact with researchers and their researches, one can contribute to professional choice, reducing university dropout rates caused by the lack of knowledge about the intended course. We report the promotion of lectures on scientific dissemination since the 1960s in the Brazilian Amazonia, the influence of these educational actions over the years in the Amazonian community, as well as other activities currently carried out by scientific dissemination initiatives of the Federal University of Pará.